Gathering Ghosts of Flowers
by timebourne
Summary: A silence crusted on their lips, not busied with their minds' tasks.
1. Prologue

_Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra. Bryke does._

Title: Gathering Ghosts of Flowers (Sequel to Garden of Knights)

Songs to listen to:

How to Save a Life - The Fray || You Found Me - The Fray || Flowers for a Ghost - Thriving Ivory || To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra || Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift ft. Civil Wars

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Prologue

**3rd Person POV**

She lay at the base of the tree, wondering where time had run off to. It wasn't so bad, going like this. She was at peace and that was all that really mattered. The wind blew by, sweeping the leaves along with it in a merry twirl. When it stopped, she felt the sun lie down on her cheek. She was apart from time, watching the world. She merely existed.

That is the last step to death.

She looked back on her life, much as a doctor would to a patient; observing any maladies that might have come to pass. Unlike a doctor, she couldn't do anything to change it but learned to accept it. She lived with no regrets.

Then she remembered. She called his name, and— he reached into thin air.

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This is the product of hard work every single day for 2-3 weeks. It was a really long ride to write it all the way to the end but I couldn't have done it without some amazing people! Shout out to Izzy(ironinkpen), Izzy(wockyshiba),Kate(fireflyfizz), Claire(botharetrue), Deep(forever-makorra),Rebecca(shadows-of-the-darkness), and Karena(tahnoseyeliner) for putting up with me and reading over my WIPs and giving me suggestions and critiques. Also, a thank you to everyone else who helped me and put up with my constant questioning and complaining! (PS: This is a gift to my followers before I go on hiatus for around 2 weeks. I'll try to create a worthy queue!). If you could let me know what you thought of it please do!


	2. Empty Shadow in the Night

_Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra. Bryke does._

Title: Gathering Ghosts of Flowers (Sequel to Garden of Knights)

Songs to listen to:

How to Save a Life - The Fray || You Found Me - The Fray || Flowers for a Ghost - Thriving Ivory || To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra || Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift ft. Civil Wars

* * *

Part 1: Empty Shadow in the Night

Korra's POV

I woke up to the smell of something burning. The air I breathed in was not compatible with my lungs, and I could feel little particles moving around in my throat, tickling it. I pushed my arms against the bed until I was sitting up, then threw off my blanket, and the cool burst of air blew the hair out of my face. It was nice, like a sip of iced lemonade on a hot summer day. The linen of the sheets made a soothing noise as I slid my legs over the side of the bed. 'What did Meelo do now?', I mumbled to myself.

I got up and lumbered over to the light-switch to turn it on, covering my yawn with one hand and stretching out my back with the other. Once the light was on, I dragged my feet over to the window so I could let some of the smoke out. It wasn't the first time Meelo had set something on fire. Although he usually caused trouble during the day, I wouldn't put it against the weird little devil to be up doing mischief at odd times. Honestly, I loved the little kid, but sometimes I just wanted to tie him up and tape his mouth. It seemed cruel, but no one would ever understand what it was like trying to babysit him. I could swear I heard my blood pressure rise. That kid was going to turn my hair grey before I would hit 20.

When I opened the window, it became an entirely different story. Republic City was set aflame, and thick black smoke was billowing from the buildings. Bright flames licked at the sides of the buildings, crawling their way up slowly as if to make sure everything was completely burned to ashes. I could hear faint sounds of chaos and pandemonium, and a cold sense of terror sunk into my heart like a ship in the sea. Then my attention was on the Pro-Bending Arena. It was engulfed in fire. Oh no, nonononono. Mako lived there, alone. Had the Equalists gotten to him already? My throat sealed off and my stomach tried to squeeze itself into nothing. I took off out of my room, barely fussing with the doorknob, and ignoring the dull pain in my shoulder from running into the doorframe. Hearing my collision with the door, Pema sleepily walked into the living room.

She shuffled toward me, taking in my pajamas and unruly hair. I froze, because I knew I got caught, so I replied, "Republic City is on fire, I need to go see what's happening." I took another step forward, but Pema stopped me, "Tenzin is already there, he tried to wake you up but you wouldn't, so he left. He should be at the police station by now," She knew that Mako lived in Republic City alone, and since we had been spending so much time together training over the past year, he was a viable target for the Equalists. Mako and Bolin were the closest thing I had to best friends in my whole life. Now that we lost Bolin to Amon, I wasn't ready to let Mako get hurt too. We needed to get Bolin back so we could be the Fire Ferrets again, so I could have my friends back.

"Please be careful Korra," Pema's voice was laced with worry but she handed me my parka anyway. I nodded to her, and we walked to the door together. When she opened it for me, I was about to thank her, but she just enveloped me in a hug. It was warm, lifting, and charged with hope. It felt like my own mother's hug, and I started to miss my parents. I hugged her back, enjoying the moment, and gave her a sincere thank you. I put on my parka, gave her one last look and took off into the night.

My feet slapped against the ground, and my lungs heaved as I tried to take in air that my body didn't want to. My muscles burned, and my skin stung from the cool air of the morning. But I just kept running, pushing myself to go farther. _Damnit legs, why don't you move any faster?_ I came pounding up near the edge of the cliff and threw myself off, then I rotated my arms to lift the ocean water to cushion my jump. I swam to the surface and began my way toward Republic City. My arms pushed through the water like the rotor of a ship; my feet kicked with the strength of a bull. I turned my head to the side every once in a while to take in air.

Even with the frigid winter breeze, I couldn't feel the cold. I was worked up, my entire mind occupied on trying to swim faster. Still, I thought, I wasn't fast enough. After too long I had finally made it to Republic City, and I shot myself into the blazing building, keeping myself drenched. I knew that if I was going to rush in there, the water would give me a little while before I could burn in case anything went wrong. I picked my way through the room, firebending anything near me, away. It was kind of like an obstacle course. A burning, painful, deadly obstacle course. Right.

At first, the heat wasn't that bad. But after a couple of seconds of yelling Mako's name, constantly firebending, and getting smoke in my lungs, it became much much hotter. Somewhere in the distance I heard, "Oh my! There's someone in there!" I wanted to ask where, because then I could find Mako, but the smoke and exhaustion was getting to me. I could feel beads of sweat trickling down my face and body, my muscles struggling against the lack of oxygen. The walls were collapsing, and the building was slowly caving in. I hadn't thought it through, and I had already used up all my energy firebending. I took a heavy step forward. The smoke was tickling my throat, and slowly my lungs were closing up. I pushed forward, and tripped on a piece of the ceiling that had been hidden by the smoke.

My momentum was thrown forward, and I fell to the floor. My breath was driven from my lungs, and my ears were ringing. A large piece of the ceiling broke and fell, causing a mini-explosion, sending flares of flames I had missed in all directions. Almost immediately the floor gave out from under me and I crashed to the ground with a sickening crack. A sharp pain shot up my arm. It was definitely broken. Parts of the ceiling landed on me, and flames licked my back, arms and neck. My body just burned. I needed something to cool it down, and cool it down now. I would welcome death with open arms, I would do anything.

Something came into my line of sight and I heard, "Korra, can you hear me?" It took a couple of seconds for my vision to clear, and then I saw Mako's face hanging over me. I nodded, and coughed out something resembling a yes. "I'm going to get you out of here, okay?" he said hurriedly, and rolled me onto my back. When my back touched the ground, and the fire seeping into my skin intensified. Tears streamed out of my eyes, because I knew there was nothing I could do to make the pain just go away.

I coughed violently to try to get all the smoke out of my lungs, but that wasn't helping either. Mako slid his arms under me, placing a steady arm under my back and my knees. I heard a grunt and I felt his arm press into my back, struggling against my weight. The pain in my back exploded and I yelped out in pain, causing Mako to look at me and apologize. My vision began to blur and the ringing in my ears got louder. Eventually everything turned black. And then there was nothing.

Part 1 Fin.

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A/N: If you could let me know what you thought of it please do!


	3. Anthem of Hearts

_Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra. Bryke does._

Title: Gathering Ghosts of Flowers (Sequel to Garden of Knights)

Songs to listen to:

How to Save a Life - The Fray || You Found Me - The Fray || Flowers for a Ghost - Thriving Ivory || To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra || Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift ft. Civil Wars

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Part 2: Anthem of Hearts

Korra's POV

"Korra?" My ears were still ringing when I woke up. I struggled to open my eyes, and groaned at how sore I felt. I blinked a couple of times, before finally seeing Mako standing next to me. Was I in a hospital bed? What the hell? Then I remembered what I had done, and how Mako had come to save me.

When Mako noticed that I was awake, his expression changed from worried to furious, "Korra! What the hell was that?" he yelled at me. Now I was pissed. I swam all the way to Republic City from the island, jumped into a burning building, and nearly got myself killed trying to save his life!

"What you mean 'what the hell'? I came to save you, and this is how you thank me?" I tried to push myself up into a sitting position. Just trying to move caused me to cry out in pain, because the fabric pulled at the skin on my back. Mako moved to help me lie down again, but I shot him the dirtiest look I could muster, so he backed off. I continued to try to sit up using only one arm because the other was wrapped.

"Save my life! You were the only one that needed rescuing! Do you really think I'm stupid enough to get caught in a building fire?" Mako chided me. He made me feel like a child. He continued to yell at me, "Why did you go in there? Now we'll have to wait for you to recover, and who knows how long that will take! Korra you really have to stop jumping the gun!"

"Well I'm sorry I can't please you, and it seems all I'm good for is jumping the gun! Never mind I thought you were going to die, never mind I risked my life for you! All you care is that I caused a lot of trouble!" I scratched at my head in frustration. "Maybe one day, I'll fight Amon and we'll both die! Then all your troubles would wash away, and you could live a happy life with Bolin! Wouldn't you like that?" I was yelling so loud my throat started to burn. I knew I had gone over the line, but I felt so rejected. I reached out to my only friend just to be smacked on the wrist for it.

Before Mako could respond, Tenzin and Lin Beifong came bursting into the room. "Korra, you will explain this to me right now!" Tenzin's face turned extremely red, and his expression was a confusing mix of anger and worried as if he didn't know whether to be upset and stern or protective and fatherly.

Lin cut in, "There is no need for her to explain, it's all in the medical report." When Tenzin refused to listen, Lin gave him a frustrated look and jerked her thumb to show that she would be waiting outside the door and then pointed to her watch.

"No dilly-dallying Korra. Tell me what happened straight." Tenzin crossed his arms and furrowed his eyebrows. _Well great, he thinks this was my fault__._ Technically it was, I guess. I took a deep breath to start my story, and caught Mako watching me from the corner of my eye. His look told me we'd continue the conversation later.

After I'd explained my story, Tenzin massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed.

While Tenzin grumbled to himself, Howl came rushing in with a radio in his hands. "Sir, there's urgent news on the radio." He searched the room for an electrical socket, and plugged the radio in. Everyone looked at the radio, and then were startled by Amon's voice booming through the speaker.

"—ic City, my name is Amon. I work to bring equality among the non-benders who are abused in this city through my Revelation. The Equalists are here to restore balance to the world! Not the Avatar!" Even through a radio, Amon's voice sent chills down my spine. A distant roar of applause overtook the radio, and then Amon continued speaking, "Avatar Korra, I have a proposition for you. At midnight tomorrow, turn yourself in at the Revelation Venue. If you do, we will give back the hostages. If you do not…we will execute the hostages." The radio cut off and white noise filled the silence of the room.

Tenzin and Mako both looked at me. They spoke at the same time, but it wasn't difficult to understand what they said. "Don't even think about it," Their voices in unison sounded intimidating. Keyword is that itsounded intimidating. It just flew over my head. At this point, I had enough of going nowhere. I hadn't spent the last year training, pouring my blood and sweat into stopping Amon and saving Bolin, just to lose it all.  
Tenzin was staring at the ground as he thought to himself. Lin came into the room addressing Tenzin, "Come with me." Tenzin nodded at her and then she turned onto me and spoke with a no-nonsense tone, "Until then, Avatar, don't you dare move out of that hospital bed," Tenzin look at me as if to make sure I was still in the room, then turned and walked out behind Lin.

It was Mako's turn to talk. "You're not going to go, are you?" he said, all fury fading from his expression. I just looked at him. "You've got to promise me. Promise me that you won't go." he crossed his arms and waited for me to respond.  
"I'm not promising you anything." I retorted. It was my decision to make, not theirs. When Mako didn't stop staring at me I decided to play along. I sighed, "Fine, I promise not to go. For now." There was a hint of resiliency in my voice, so Mako skeptically raised his eyebrow. I looked him in the eye, and he accepted what I said. He walked over to the chair and sat down, closing his eyes to rest.

I was going to go tonight.

Part 2 Fin.

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A/N: If you could let me know what you thought of it please do!


	4. I Was Never Any Good at Saying Goodbye

_Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra. Bryke does._

Title: Gathering Ghosts of Flowers (Sequel to Garden of Knights)

Songs to listen to:

How to Save a Life - The Fray || You Found Me - The Fray || Flowers for a Ghost - Thriving Ivory || To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra || Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift ft. Civil Wars

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Part 3: I Was Never Really Any Good at Saying Goodbye

3rd Person POV

**There were people she needed to part with. **

Mako.

He found her by the dock, wondering why she was there with Naga. He thought the hourglass had run out of sand, but there was still one grain stuck to the side of the glass. He had time. The words flew out of his mouth so fast that they crashed into each other and fell into chaos. _Don't go, please don't go__._ She soothed him and put his words back in order. It took a lot of convincing, but when she was done sorting, he knew he would not lose her.

A silence crusted on their lips, not busied with their minds' tasks. Then her lips filled up the silence in his. She carved her epitaph into his lips, and the last grain fell from the glass. He wasn't expecting a kiss, he never listened to her goodbye. The motion of her hands talking to his chest stopped the wind from blowing, and the grain froze in midair. Time searched for them, but they were under a cloak of invisibility knitted out of the sparks created by the friction of their lips. Then her fingers were pressing behind his collarbone and he dropped to the sky where he landed in a cloud of dreams.

A figure of a girl collapsed to the ground with a limp body in her grasp. _I'm so sorry_, she whispered. A mantra, repeating over and over until it became the sound of her breath. Then a loud horn, and he was tied to Naga's back. She sent him to an island that had enough grain to fill his hourglass.

Hopefully it would give him the time she didn't have anymore.

Amon.

He stood in the shadow, wondering when she would arrive. When she finally did, the hostages were pushed forward, only to fall. Their legs long lost to the taste of nutrition. The uniforms carried them to beds, which found their way to the hospital. She was finally where he wanted her to be.

She tried to wriggle out of his grasp, as he had predicted. He let her go into the Avatar state. Good, good. Perfect. It became a battle with Mother Nature herself. She was a large brick wall of force and brute strength, and he, a small insignificant particle that found the weak points in the wall. They destroyed each other. Everyone had fled the scene as soon as the glowing started, and by the time the bright light faded from her eyes there was no scene to come back to except for one standing tree.

He looked into eyes so black, that no light reflected. They were his. He peeled the orange to its core, throwing its insides away. It was the peel he was looking at. An empty shell in which he sewed his own grim beauty. He ate the silence of her fading stare. She didn't hear anything as the odor of a voice filled up the air. "Welcome to hell," he said. It was a true greeting. This time he could smile. This time he did not need the mask.

He faded out of existence.

Korra.

She lay at the base of the tree, wondering where time had run off to. It wasn't so bad, going like this. She was at peace and that was all that really mattered.

For a moment she remembered the face of a boy, and wished she would get to stay longer.

_I'm so sorry_, she whispered.

The next wind that blew by took her soul with it.

Part 3 Fin.

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A/N: If you could let me know what you thought of it please do!


	5. Echoes of a Maze

_Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra. Bryke does._

Title: Gathering Ghosts of Flowers (Sequel to Garden of Knights)

Songs to listen to:

How to Save a Life - The Fray || You Found Me - The Fray || Flowers for a Ghost - Thriving Ivory || To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra || Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift ft. Civil Wars

* * *

Part 4: Echoes of a Maze

Mako was blinking the sun out his eyes and cursing the nice weather. He remembered when he had cried in front of Korra for the first time. Her eyes reminded him of this. But no, _not here, please not here._ She had promised him. She _promised_ him! A cold fire erupted within him, snaking its way to his eyes. But he didn't get up and go to her. If he did that meant that this was real. That he failed. The thought resonated in his head. If he touched her she'd disappear, like a wild deer. Her soul would gracefully gallop away, out of his reach.

His body was numb, and the breeze was like the chill after a fire has been put out. He barely registered the tug on his jacket, and turned to look at the small chubby hand grasping his shirt. He followed the hand to Meelo who had tears running down his cheeks and snot hanging out of his nose. Meelo had been the first to find her. "Mako, why did Daddy tell Ikki and Jinny to go away?" his wide eyes still shone of innocence.

Mako understood that Meelo didn't know. "Because he wants them to get help so he can carry Korra to bed," He said simply. Each word was as short as possible, like a rubber band stretched to its limit. He was afraid it would snap and he'd lose control. He couldn't fail at that. He'd already failed one too many times.

"But why is Daddy crying?" Meelo kept pressing, and it tortured Mako. He wanted to be left alone, he wanted this to just go away. He swam against the river of emotion, forcing smile to his face.

"It's not important." He tried to change the subject quickly, since it usually worked on Meelo. He wiped the tears off his face, and began to slide off his gloves, "Here, why don't you play with my gloves? We'll finish this, and then we can go home. Okay?" Every single word out of his mouth was a lie. What home? There's nothing left for me.

But Meelo was never one to listen. He struck down the gloves and gave Mako the most intimidating look he could muster. "No! I want to know now!" he thought it was some sort of secret they were holding against him. It was.

Mako stared at the gloves on the ground, before adjusting his gaze on Meelo. Mako carefully reached out and took Meelo's hand. He tugged on his arm, and brought Meelo to stand in front of him. "You know how I told you that Korra is asleep?" Mako asked very carefully, as if reading a children's book to Meelo. Meelo nodded his head vigorously, causing the snot to spread on his face. "Do you know what sleeping is?" Mako asked this in the same tone. Maybe this would make Meelo go away.

Meelo paused to think, "Sleeping is when your mind goes somewhere else so that your body can rest. Sometimes it plays weird movies with a lot of colors, and a lot of people!" A smile caught on his face. Of course it did. Mako asked him if he thought sleeping was a good thing, and Meelo nodded. He didn't even think twice about telling Meelo, nothing was real to him anymore. Korra wasn't really gone. Of course she wasn't.

"Well, Meelo," Mako shifted his knees, "Daddy is crying because Korra is in a special sort of sleep," Mako tried to smile, maybe it would make him stop reminding him. Why won't he just leave me alone? He began to feel angry.

"What do you mean?" Meelo turned his head to the side, unsuccessfully trying to wipe off the snot off his face with his other hand.

"Meelo, Korra is in the type of sleep that is one you never wake up from! Okay? Is that what you wanted?" Mako yelled at Meelo. What would it take to get it into his head? Did he have to pick up her lifeless body and shove it in his face to understand? Did he have to make him listen to the breathing that wasn't there? Or would it be that her heart had stopped beating?

But that did it. It took Meelo a couple of minutes to understand, but when realization dawned on him, he began to cry again. Louder this time. "You mean I won't be able to ever play with her again? I can't pull at her hair? I can't steal her food? Have story time?" Each question he expected Mako to answer. It was Mako who told him Korra wouldn't wake up, it was Mako's fault that she wouldn't wake up. Meelo didn't know how else to rationalize it. But Mako accepted it, because he had failed. He deserved it, he thought. Meelo jumped at Mako, flailing at his face, "But why? Why can't she wake up?"

He grabbed Meelo by the collar and pulled him close, "Because someone broke the switch that allows her to wake up," There was a sort of harshness to his words that should never have been directed toward a child. But then again this was never supposed to happen. She was never supposed to go. But he was beginning to accept it, she fact settled into him like the slow ending of a gentle song.

"Why can't we just have someone fix the switch?" Meelo pleaded.

"Meelo, some things just can't be fixed! The world doesn't work that way! If it did, I would have my parents back!" Mako squeezed Meelo's shirt tighter, "When you peel the skin off an orange, it's impossible to put the orange back together. That's just the way it is." When Mako was finished speaking, he got up and began to walk away. Meelo called out to him, but when Mako didn't stop, he began to wail. Mako left the boy there to cry on his own. He didn't even look back as Meelo cried to himself, he didn't feel was a cold-heartedness consuming him that couldn't forgive anyone who was still living happily in the world.

"Mako, you have to let go," Tenzin's voice was lower than usual. Mako reluctantly paused. Tenzin pulled Meelo into his arms, and walked off to find a place for him to sleep. Mako dropped to his knees, clutching at the air. He hugged the cold into himself because there was nothing else to embrace. No one else to embrace. Police were arriving, and Lin Beifong was storming to the scene. But none of that mattered. Something gripped his shoulder and lifted him up. Mako vaguely realized that he was being taken away.

Mako thought he wouldn't care, the farther the better. But he didn't want to go away. He needed to see Korra, he needed to say goodbye. Maybe he could never had said bye to his parents, but somewhere, someplace, Korra would be listening. "Wait," He forced out as he stumbled away from Korra. _Getting farther and farther._ At this point he would never reach her soul. It had fled too far for him to ever find it again.

"I need to see her," Mako shoved off the arm that was pulling him away. He sprinted the other direction. _Just one last goodbye_. When he finally reached her, he kneeled by her side, not knowing what to do, what to say. "Goodbye, Avatar Korra." He whispered to the wind with the certainty of a heavy stone settled at the bottom of a river. _I said too little, spoke too much__._ He wanted to show that he was her friend, he wanted to show that he cared for her. Impulsively, he unwrapped his scarf from his neck. The breeze that blew by caused the hair on his neck to stand up. Slowly, and methodically, he folded the scarf. He left it on top of Korra's heart.

"I know it's not much, but maybe, just maybe, this can protect you in a place where I can't." He spoke to her like she was there. But it still felt incomplete, he didn't feel like he could leave yet. He took her hand, and it was as cold as the bitter chill of losing a warm embrace. He brought the back of her hand to his lips and closed his eyes. A weight pressed against his shoulder, and he put Korra's hand back down. He pushed himself to his feet and stared at Korra's face. He tried not to think of how warm she was when he hugged her a year ago, he tried not to think of how she kissed him, he tried not to think that he had fallen for her. _It never happened, I didn't fail._

Tenzin turned to walk away, and Mako was about to follow suit, when he saw Korra move. He froze on the spot and turned back toward Korra. _It's just mind tricks. Wishful thinking, that's all it is._ But the bright blue flash and powerful gust of wind told him different. The hairs on his body and the goosebumps forming on his arms told him different. Alarmed, Mako took a step back, waiting for the smoke to clear. In place of Korra, an old man with blue arrows running down his arms and head appeared. He had a beard, and looked strikingly like Tenzin.

"Father?" Tenzin scrunched his eyebrows in bewilderment. The other man smiled and nodded. "Hello, Tenzin, Mako," He nodded at Tenzin then Mako. All activity ceased, and whispers created a low buzz of background noise. But it didn't last long, soon the whispering faded and all attention was at the man before them, standing at the base of the tree. No one knew what to say. "Listen, I can't stay for long, but I wanted to say a few things before I went,"

It was all so sudden, so out of place_. __Is this even real? _"Are you…are you Avatar Aang?" Mako choked out. He never thought this would ever happen. Korra spoke of something happening to Aang in a Fire Temple, but not like this.

Aang nodded to Mako, and turned his attention to Tenzin, "You did great, my son. I am proud of you," He walked up to Tenzin and wrapped him in a hug, letting it linger for a few moments before letting go. Tenzin turned a few shades of red, and tears wavered in his eyes, but he remained composed otherwise. He faced the general crowd and addressed them, "I'm here today, right now, because I have been waiting for when Korra needed me most. You almost lost the Avatar today, but Korra fought so hard to stay, and she won," He let that sink in.

His gaze swept over the crowd, making eye contact with as many people as possible. "Let it be remembered that Korra fought against death here at the base of this tree, fought against Amon, right here in this area, fought to preserve world peace, right here in the name of the Avatar. She has done her duty better than anyone could ever have. Do not take that for granted," Aang spoke with confidence and gusto, chastising the people for not believing in her.

Then he turned to Mako and softened his gaze, "She heard you, you know." Aang paused and gave a knowing smile, "Take care of her Mako," He shook hands with Mako and stepped back. "Goodbye, everyone," There was a moment where the only sound was the rustling of the wind, then another flash of blue light and smoke filled up the area. The last thing you could see on Aang's face was his brilliant smile. It lingered like the feeling of a campfire on a cold night.

When the smoke cleared, Korra was leaning against the tree, where she had previously been. But this time it was different. The color had returned to her skin, and her eyes were fluttering open. At first there was just a tear running down his cheek, but then he was running. Going anywhere, just to get away. She couldn't have possibly been alive. She died, he saw it with his own eyes. A couple of voices called his name, but he just kept on running. His arms pumped at his sides and he pushed to run faster.

He didn't stop running for hours. It was only when his body shut down that he lay down. He dropped to the ground the way a building on fire crumbles to ashes. He crawled into an alley, not caring what would happen if he stayed there. Memories of back when he lived on the streets with Bolin invaded his mind. That was fine. It was rational, a given. He didn't, couldn't, think of Korra. He drowned himself in living in his past, and then he wasn't there anymore. He was back to a 9 year old, one year after his parents had died. Bolin had just begun to stop crying every other day, tolerate the wait for food a little longer, and complain a little less. That was where Mako stayed, in a little alley next to Bolin. He threw himself into a place of his mind that didn't include Korra.

It worked.

Part 4 Fin.

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A/N: If you could let me know what you thought of it please do!


	6. Exodus of the Stars

_Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra. Bryke does._

Title: Gathering Ghosts of Flowers (Sequel to Garden of Knights)

Songs to listen to:

How to Save a Life - The Fray || You Found Me - The Fray || Flowers for a Ghost - Thriving Ivory || To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra || Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift ft. Civil Wars

* * *

Part 5: Exodus of the Stars

Korra woke up first to a white ceiling. The next time she woke up, it was to a stranger's face. Over the next week, Korra drifted in and out of consciousness in this pattern. None of it was coherent, it all felt like a dream. On her 7th day in the hospital she fully woke up. The light was harsh on her eyes, but she ignored it. Turning her head to the side, she found that no one was in the room. She drifted back into sleep.

It wasn't until she saw Tenzin, that Korra finally realized what happened. All she did, all she went through. She had woken up and been surprised to hear voices outside her door. After waiting for their conversation to end, Tenzin walked into the room, walking over to the chair by her bedside. "What happened to Amon?" She croaked out as he prepared to sit down. How long had it been since she used her voice? Her vocal chords felt odd, like she was learning to speak for the first time.

Tenzin paused, startled by her sudden state of consciousness. "Korra? Are you alright?" He spoke softly to her, just like he did when his fourth child had been born. It was a tender tone he only used when he spoke to the baby daughter, who cooed at him and remained surprisingly silent. She was the calmest of all four children. It warmed Korra's heart.

"I guess you could call it that." Korra chuckled, which tickled her through so she ended up coughing. "Or maybe not," she decided with a smile. She laughed and coughed again.

It seemed as if his eyes dimmed, but Korra couldn't tell because Tenzin had turned his head to the side, "Amon died." He waited to let Korra take in the news. Korra didn't know how to handle it, she had caused Amon's death. She wasn't sure how to feel; relieved? Was it ok to feel relieved? She didn't know if she should have cried because she had ended a person's life. But she didn't feel sad, and she was afraid of that.

"Korra, I know it's a lot to take in. But we'll get through it together," Tenzin took Korra's hand and held it in his. Korra pushed it away. She would deal with it later, she always dealt with it later. She was good at that. "Where are my parents? I want to see them," she demanded. It had been a long time since she had seen her parents. She knew they worried about her, and she couldn't imagine what it would have felt like to look at their daughter and know that someday this would happen. That her life would be in danger. She admired them for their courage and confidence.

"They come by every day to see you. You missed them, they're already back at Air Temple Island. We gave them a guest room to sleep in so they could be close by." Tenzin said apologetically, but then smiled, "You'll see them tomorrow."

That seemed to relax her. "And what about Bolin? Where is he?" she had worked so hard to get him back, she wouldn't know what to do if he wasn't okay. The silence between her question and his answer racked at her nerves.

"He's…stable. He's in the room two doors down." Tenzin finally replied. Korra breathed a sigh of relief, they had gotten him back. Tenzin looked like he was about continue, but he decided not to. She smiled widely at Tenzin, they had made it through the storm.

"What about Mako, why haven't I seen him?" she asked, eyes bright. "We should all celebrate!" She was excited that they had finally all came back together. Tenzin didn't respond, averting his eyes. Korra raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.

"I'm afraid, you'll have to hold off the celebration." Tenzin rubbed his neck and looked at Korra from the corner of his eye. "Mako ran away as soon as you woke up. We sent a search team after him and found him in an alley a few hours later." He paused to look at me and then continued, "He refuses to eat anything, or talk to anyone. We had to move him a hospital bed—"

"What? What happened? Is he okay?'' Korra cut in, panic edging into her voice. "Can I go see him?" Korra painfully pushed herself up onto one arm, wincing when she moved too quickly.

"Unfortunately, no. If he continues with his behavior he's going to starve himself to death. We're having enough trouble trying to get him not to rip out the IV every time we give him saline." Tenzin's forehead creased with worry over Mako. He moved to make Korra lie back down again, "But just rest for now, Korra. We'll figure everything out." Korra lied down, but the spark in her eye told him that she was going to go see him anyway.  
After Tenzin had left and after she played nice with all the doctors, Korra got out of bed. It was a bad idea. She hadn't been on her feet in a week, so when she put weight on her legs her knees gave in. She steadied herself with the bed and cautiously put weight back on her feet again. She took a careful step, and then another. After a few, she didn't need to try hard. There was no one in her room, and at this time of night there was rarely anyone patrolling her floor. Opening the door slightly, Korra peeked into the hall. When she saw the coast was clear she snuck out of her room and limped down the hall two doors.

She quietly opened the door and walked into the room. She was afraid of what she would see. Should she joke around with him like they always did? Or should she try to console him? "Mako? Mako is that you?" Bolin's voice broke out of the quiet of his room. Korra froze, not knowing what to do.

"Uh…no, it's Korra." she shifted uncomfortably where she stood. Bolin probably didn't know that Mako was also lying down in a hospital bed somewhere nearby. Putting her arms behind her back, Korra began to walk toward his bed. She took in the IV connected to the bag of clear liquid hung on a pole. It really hit her then that Bolin wasn't really "back" yet.

"Haha Mako, nice try." Bolin's familiar goofy smile spread on his face. Usually it made Korra smile too, but not this time. This time her heart dropped into the acid of her stomach, and all her blood flushed out of her face. She knew Bolin would never joke about something like this. Maybe it was his way of trying to break the uncertainty of the situation. She hadn't seen Bolin for a year. He looked horrible. His once full and rosy cheeks were now drawn and pale, his muscles all atrophied. The overall effect of it all made it seem like Amon had sucked out Bolin's will to live. "I'm the funny one, remember?" Bolin's smile morphed into a smug grin, as if he was trying to taunt his brother into protesting his insult.

"Plus, we don't even know a person named Korra, Mako. What are you talking about?" The confusion in Bolin's voice sounded genuine. Was it wrong of her to not want to believe it?

"Bolin, stop kidding around. This isn't funny!" she snapped at him. Anxiety brought her heart rate up and color flushed to her face.

"Ok, Bro. Beside, why would this 'Korra' girl be wearing your scarf? You haven't taken it off in a year." he sounded like he was cracking the case. The mystery of why his brother was pretending to be someone else. Korra looked down at the scarf, wondering why Mako had given it to her before running away. "Ooh, ooh, do you like her?" he teased his brother, maybe this girl would bring a smile to his face.

"What? No. Bolin, it's me Korra." she put one of her hands on her chest, as if to ground herself to her name.

Bolin chuckled. "Mako stop kidding around, you're a horrible liar." Korra realized that the Bolin she got back was not the Bolin that got taken away. The Bolin that came back was the one who only had eyes of the past and was blind to the present. To Bolin, the bed he was lying down on wasn't a bed, it was the concrete of an alleyway. To Bolin, the figure standing in front of him was 9, not 17. To Bolin, the face from which a single tear dropped, was the face of his brother, not Korra.

"Ok I give up Bolin, you got me." she said as she discreetly wiped the tear away. While Bolin was locked away for a year, all alone with nothing, there was only one place for him to go, and that was his mind. That was where he lived for that year. He threw himself into his past like his brother. So she played along, stitching herself into a place in time where she did not exist.

"Mako? Mako where are you going?" Bolin called out hoarsely. But Korra was already out the door. She was rejected from his time. She wasn't supposed to exist there. She ran down the hall past Tenzin who had heard Bolin calling for Mako. The only thing she could here was Bolin's strangled calls for his brother.

She ran into her room, locking the door. Bolin's hoarse calls cut through the walls. Korra pressed her palms against her ears so it would go away. She couldn't handle hearing his voice, a voice that belonged to the past. Tenzin came up to the door and tried to coax her out of her room. "Korra? Korra, come out of there!" he yelled from the other side of the door. She just wanted him to go away. She clutched her ears tighter to her head, and drew her knees in closer.

"Korra come out, you need to tell me what happened." Tenzin persisted in trying to reach her. She wanted him to leave her alone, but he wouldn't give up. "Just let me help you!" She wondered if he'd ever considered that she didn't want help. She kept shaking her head, wishing things would just disappear. "Stop fighting your emotions, it just makes things worse!"

"Oh and what?" She paused, choking down the tears that stung her eyes. "Face that I'm the one responsible for what happened to Bolin? To Mako? All those people who died? That's a great idea! Talking about my problems will just solve all of them, won't it? I can just talk awayabout how Bolin doesn't remember me! That will definitely make him come to his senses!" No matter hard Tenzin would try to convince her otherwise, she couldn't help but blame herself. She was the Avatar, she should have been able to do anything.

"I just wanted…I just wanted a place to belong. I finally had something to do, and it was an amazing feeling! I finally felt useful for once. I got so lost, I didn't know what I was doing anymore. I did horrible things, and it just made things worse. There could have been a better ending to this!" Tenzin tried to tell her it was inevitable. But she didn't believe it wasn't her fault Amon acted against the benders.

"Yeah, but it's my fault that he's dead now. It's my fault that countless of people have died because I couldn't stop him. It's my fault that Bolin doesn't know that he's not a street urchin anymore. It's my fault…it's my fault that Mako is on his deathbed. It's my fault he's not eating! It's my fault he won't respond! I can't even see him, and I can't be with him! Maybe I shouldn't have fought so hard to live! I would have rather let Aang take me to the Spirit World!"

There was a void of noise, and Tenzin struggled to respond. "Korra, do you realize how many people love you and cherish you? Your life to us means more than just being the Avatar. I want you to know that." He rested his hand on the door.

"I…I just don't know! I don't know anything anymore Tenzin! I was supposed to die back then, but then I heard him…and I couldn't do it, I couldn't go out without a fight. And now, here I am completely fine, but he's dying." It felt so unfair, like she was taking advantage of Mako.

"Do you think you could handle seeing him? Do you think you can change it?" Tenzin asked her. She thought about it, and then opened the door.

"I want to try."

_Part 5 Fin._

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A/N: If you could let me know what you thought of it please do!


	7. When Building a Home from Empty Pieces

_Disclaimer: I don't own Legend of Korra. Bryke does._

Title: Gathering Ghosts of Flowers (Sequel to Garden of Knights)

Songs to listen to:

How to Save a Life - The Fray || You Found Me - The Fray || Flowers for a Ghost - Thriving Ivory || To Build a Home - The Cinematic Orchestra || Safe and Sound - Taylor Swift ft. Civil Wars

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Part 6: When Building a Home From Empty Pieces

Tenzin gave her his room number. She navigated her way through the halls and floors to find him. Korra stood in front of the door, looking at it as if it were bigger than it appeared. There was a truth behind it. By opening the door she was also opening the door to a future that might have never happened. A future where she was not alive. She turned the knob and pushed against the door.

She barely opened the door a crack before he cut in, "Go away." But she didn't listen anyway. Deep down, somewhere in the shadow of his brain, he thought of how only one person would ever act like this. But it was as useful as a name whispered to the wind, because the sound was scattered and destroyed in its chaos. The thought disappeared as fast as it had come. She entered the room. It was like walking into Bolin's room all over again. A clear plastic bag of fluid led to an IV in his wrist. His eyes had sunk into his head, and the usually angular features had taken a much more fragile tone. Before they were like a razor, sleek and sharp. Now it was like the thinness of a paper, frail and dull.

An anger bubbled in her, rising up to the lid and toppling it over, "No! I won't go away!" she yelled, stepping forward with bold anger. "I won't go away until I stop hearing Bolin's tortured voice calling your name!" She clutched at her chest when a knife of a memory stabbed at her.

Mako's eyes softened like the blaze of a fire calming down, "He…He calls for me?" He looked at Korra as his voice rose at the end of the question. She met his gaze.

"Yes! And he doesn't stop!" she yelled at him, throwing her arms to her sides. "Do you know what it was like to look into his eyes, and see them so cracked that you feel like you're going to get lost too?" Her yelling faded into a scratchy whisper. She fought against the feeling of her throat sealing, but it was as useful as a small oar in a stormy sea.

"They lied to me!" Mako wailed, balling up the sheets in his hand as tight as he could. "They told me he was fine!" he slid his knees slightly toward him, causing the sheets to pull at his grip. His weak fingers could not stand the new pressure, and some of the fabric slipped from his grasp.

Korra shook her head, "He wasn't fine when he looked me in the eye and called me Mako, he wasn't fine when he was too weak to get out of his hospital bed to chase after me when I had to get away!"

Mako looked down to his knees, "I need to see him." He tugged at his sheets, trying to expose his legs. It took him several feeble kicks to get the rest of the sheets off of him. He pushed himself into sitting position, weakly and painfully. He grunted and panted as he worked to slide himself to the edge of the bed. "I need to be there for him, he's all I have left," he wheezed out in between breaths. Korra watched as he struggled to get off the bed and onto his feet. Her eyes widened and her eyebrows knit together. She could only just stand there, frozen on the spot, and watch Mako slowly crumble to dust.

"He's all I've ever had since I was 8, and now I finally have him back. He needs me." Mako found his way to his feet and walked forward, using the bed as a crutch. He made slow, but steady progress advancing toward the door. But he had forgotten about his IV. He tugged at the line, and instead of the IV ripping out, the pole with saline tipped over. He tugged harder, and the pole crashed to the ground. The metal rang sharply in Korra's ears.

Mako's legs gave in and he collapsed. Korra instinctively surged forward and caught him before he could hit the ground. She wrapped one arm around his waist, the other holding his hand, and raised him back to his feet. She looked into his eyes, searching for recognition, "I'm here too, you know." He stared back at her, and she could see it. There was a warm kindle thawing out the ice in his eyes.

When there was a strong hearth glowing in his eyes, he finally responded, "Your hand was so cold, the last time I held it." Mako looked down at her hand, and back into her eyes, but Korra looked away.

"Is it still cold to you?" Korra could feel the tears threatening to spill, but she didn't let them. No, she was stronger than this. Then she looked at Mako, and her resolve cracked. His eyes shone; She could see a tear wavering, waiting to spill. His eyebrows scrunched together like he was in pain, and she saw as he tried to swallow the pressure of sadness rising in his throat.

His grip on her hand tightened,"Don't ever do that again Korra," He sounded like he was gargling his words. His nostrils were flared, and he was breathing loudly. Korra looked at his eyes, and a single tear slid down his face, hanging for a moment at his chin. She just stared as the droplet let go of his face and crashed to the ground. No one could hear it, but with the silence enveloping the area, its quietness spoke louder than anything could ever have.

The look in his eyes reminded her of the only other time she had ever seen Mako cry, which was a year ago. Korra remembered the feeling of being wrapped in his heart, the pain of losing his only family. She felt a ghost of his arms enveloping her, and relived the feeling of opening the dams of her heartache. She wanted him to hug her again, she wanted to cry again. A warm trail of water snaked down Korra's face, dropping off at her cheek. The second one stopped right under her eye, and Korra was startled.

Mako's thumb was on her cheek. Her breath hitched in her throat, and Korra felt like she was a candle lit aflame. He slid his hand to wipe her tear away, then to cup her cheek. A heartbreaking fractured smile sewed itself on his face, and pang of guilt rose up her throat. His hand was rough against her cheek, "You had me so scared Korra," His eyebrows burrowed down and his tears dripped faster. The light caught on the tears collecting at his jaw, and it was entrancing. It was the first time she had ever seen something shine so brightly. "I thought I was so close to losing you. So close to being alone," he took a deep breath and tilted their foreheads to touch. His forehead was like a snug blanket on a cold winter night; it was tender, comforting, and soothing. Korra was once again wrapped in his warmth, and her tears streamed out. "I'm only human you know," He whispered, and his breath caressed her face.

A cozy fire spread up her neck and goosebumps cropped up all over her arms. Korra closed her eyes and got lost in the feeling of being with Mako. Her arms found their way to Mako's neck, and her head was tilting sideways. She moved slowly, capturing every moment in her heart like film for a movie. Their lips brushed and a shot of lightning sprouted in her chest. Korra's temperature rose, it kept climbing and climbing, aspiring to reach the heavens and lay among the golden angels. It didn't matter that the door opened, and multiple lights flashed. It didn't matter that there were cameras, paparazzi, voices. She was melting, steadily and surely, like drops of hot wax sliding from a candle. Korra's heart played a melody sweet enough to make flowers look to the sky, a harmony strong enough to spread out its roots, and a solo soft enough to fit the music playing in Mako's heart. It didn't last long, but the shortest song was the only song that could fill in the silence following his tears.

Fin.

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A/N: If you could let me know what you thought of it please do!


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